Kozar
by ncfc411
Summary: OC my first fanfic, will feature all main characters at some point. Will follow main story timeline and beyond. Follows the life of Zuko and Azula's younger brother Kozar. Rated T for language and sexual implications, not sure whether to change that.
1. Prologue

The thief

_Two figures dashed acros the rooftops, swift, agile and as close to silence as anyone could be in that situation. The shorter of the two figures suddenly drew up, signalling to his ally to do the same. The smaller of the two was wearing a simple black hooded top, and an equally dark balaclava to cover his mouth. He pulled the balaclava down and whispered _

_"Wait here." He recieved a short curt nod from the white robed man to his right. He then ran forward, leapt to an adjacent roof, slowed and crawled to the edge to eavesdrop on the two men meeting in the shadow of the alley._

_"You have the letter?" barked the guard, from the way he was dressed he was obviously an imperial firebender_

_"Keep your voice down" replied the second figure in a low menacing tone_

_"What does it matter to you, you've got your money now, this need never bother you again."_

_"I don't want to attract any attention, I need to disappear without being seen, those are my orders."_

_"From who? I thought thieves didn't answer to anyone"_

_"From the Firelord himself, would you argue? He doesn't want any of his enemies spotting the kind of people he consorts with with."_

_"No, I wouldn't want people to think I did business with you either."_

_"What's that supposed to mean." The second man's voice got angrier._

_"Merely that you are viewed by most as a criminal." he paused "Some might refer to you as scum"_

_"You speak from experience, I have heard rumours of your past, very dodgy but our new Fire Lord has forgiven has he?"_

_"Of course"_

_"So if I were to make him aware of it there would be no problem?" the first man flinched at these words, the second man then continued _

_"So he doesn't know as much as you say then, well well well I hope I don't accidentally make some form of reference to it. Could be very embarassing for you."_

_"Do you need some sort of incentive to keep your mouth shut?"_

_"Money's always nice." The second man smirked._

_"I had something else in mind." With that the imperial bender leapt forward and punched fire at the second man's head. He was taken completely by surprise and killed instantly._

_"You had it coming, I better not leave this body here." the killer bent down to pick up the body of his victim, as he did so the hooded figure leapt from the roof and powerfully punched the guard in the back of the head, before kicking him in the temple to knock him unconscious. He rummaged through the imperial firebenders pockets and found the letter destined to the Fire Lord. Climbing back to his friend he was welcomed sarcastically_

_"You kept me waiting."_

_"They like to talk."_

_"My help was not necessary."_

_"No, there are complications, no doubt I will get the blame for the dead criminal as well as the unconscious guard."_

_"I wouldn't want to be him tomorrow from what you've told me of the Fire Lord's temper."_

_the pair laughed, then disappeared into the darkness. When they were at a safe distance the smaller figure pulled down his hood and began to read the letter_

_Dear Fire Lord Zuko, I know where to find your mother..._


	2. Kozar

Kozar

_Late 89 ASC..._

In the garden outside the fire nation royal palace. Three young children are playing. Well one is, the other two are fighting over a toy sword. Strangely the one who isn't fighting over it is the owner of the toy. Zuko's happy laugh was drowned out by an argument between his two siblings.

"Zuko said I could play with it." Whined the smaller of the two, a 3 year old boy with dark messy hair and bright blue eyes. He was shorter than his sister, stocky like his uncle had been at a similar age, stocky for someone so young anyway.

"I don't care what Zuzu said it's my turn fatty." Azula was taunting the younger boy with one of her favourite insults. She knew Kozar Kasanji wasn't really fat, but it still got the desired reaction.

"I'm not fat." Her little brother's eyes started to well up as he looked down at the floor in a bid to hide his tears.

"And you're a crybaby." Added Azula for good measure, then laughing as she wrenched the sword out of Kozar's grip. She taunted him with it, holding it too high for him to reach. Suddenly both of them turned to notice that the door into the garden was open and their father was striding outside to the scene.

"What's going on." He said in an unusually kind voice.

"I won this sword fair and square and now Kozar's crying about it." Azula said smugly

"Am not." Replied Kozar

"Am too."

"Am-"

"That's enough Kozar, if you can't stand up for yourself and you're then going to cry about it you should just get out of your sister's way.

"That's enough! Go to your room now!"

Kozar glared hatefully at Ozai and walked inside still able to hear one last taunt from Azula.

"I'm stronger, faster and smarter than you. You'll never catch up." She was only four years old but it was already one of her favourite sayings. Zuko turned round at the familiar taunt, but quickly looked away before Azula noticed. He knew she was right and it hurt him as much as it hurt Kozar.

The youngest prince lay on his bed looking up at the ceiling, he could still hear Azula's taunts in his head. They hurt, but the truth hurt more. Kozar was sensitive, and he knew she was right. He may only be 3 years old but he realised something. Ozai loved Azula the most and Ursa loved Zuko the most. Kozar was disregarded by Ozai and ignored by Ursa. But if he couldn't win a competition for his parents love he could win at other stuff. Kozar then walked to the window, pulled back the curtain and jumped out onto the tree branch outside his window. It was a thick branch but he still nearly lost his balance. After this and a couple of wobbles he began climbing down. He reached the ground, landing softly and looking around to check that no one had seen him. He then walked to the edge of the forest the royal family's land included. The trees looked dark and mysterious. His natural curiosity got the better of him and he wandered in anyway. He noticed nothing much for a few minutes before suddenly hearing a sound behind him. A quiet hiss, he jerked around but saw nothing. He then continued very slowly and ears listening for the sound. He heard nothing for a couple of minutes, then it happened again, louder this time. Menacing. He began running, and didn't stop until whatever it was was far behind him. He sighed with relief, then after a little while stumbling around he found his way back to the edge of the woods. There stood Azula, and worse his father. Kozar gulped, then glared at Azula realising it was her who had made the hissing noise.

"You did it didn't you? You scared me." Azula put on her innocent look

"I was just trying to teach you a lesson, not to go into the woods." Ozai then interrupted this brief exchange

"How dare you disobey me." He growled, low and scarier than anything Kozar had heard in the woods. "Get out of my sight before I do something you won't forget for the rest of your life!" Kozar may have been little but he still picked up the warning signs, he backed away, then turned and ran inside to the safety of his bedroom that a couple of hours ago he had been desperate to escape. Then it dawned on him that he had to go back to those woods, the thrill was too great. Kozar had found two things he enjoyed, running and exploring, that night he went deeper than before, and came upon a shocking secret. A secret that made the little prince's blood run cold...


	3. The Conspirators

A lucky escape

Kozar stood in the shadow of one of many bushes surrounding the clearing, unable to tear himself away from what he was watching. He was a clever kid for his age, far from innocent with a decent knowledge of goings on around him. Ozai was talking to one of four men there, a tall broad shouldered man with brown hair, large sideburns and a small topknot. Kozar had seen him in the palace a couple of times but hadn't taken any notice of him. It was only now he began to see some of the smaller details, there was a hunger in the man's eyes, a lust for power. He seemed devoid of all kindness and warmth. The hidden prince didn't notice all of this at the time, but there was still a cruel quality that the child did notice. And he didn't like it. The two men were discussing in low whispers.

"I'm afraid our plans will have to be put on hold Lieutenant, there is rather a serious complication." Ozai said

"But I went to great lengths to organise this all! I think we should continue, or months of planning and effort will be wasted! What could be so important that-"

"My Father that's what." Ozai interrupted, his voice dripping with venom.

"I was just as eager for this as you, but my Father has decided that I will travel for the next few years and search the world for the Avatar. Our plans will be put on hold until I return."

"But-"

"No buts lieutenant. The situation will be much the same."

"However if you find the Avatar...?"

"No one has seen the Avatar in going on 90 years, he is never coming back! I will return in a year or two and we can continue then." The lieutenant mumbled something that Kozar couldn't hear, but he caught his Father's reply easily enough.

"Your patience will be rewarded lieutenant, once I am Fire Lord you will have your reward."

"Thank you Prince Ozai, I will be patient."

"My advice is that you go now, I will speak to you tomorrow. I get the feeling that we are not alone. Take this letter you sent me. I don't want to risk anyone finding it. Zhao placed the letter on the inside of his belt. Kozar suddenly felt an urge to know what this was aboyt. He didn't understand everything being said, but his curiosity had been alerted, and his reckless streak surfaced for the third time in less than 24 hours. Kozar began sneaking round towards the Lieutenant, as he did so Ozai whipped round and sent a fireball powering towards the bush that had been concealing his youngest son moments before. Ozai walked over and said:

"No one was there after all, but we shall continue tomorrow anyway." One of the men accompanying the Lieutenant started to protest, but Ozai silenced him with a glare. The Lieutenant began to laugh at this, and as he did Kozar took his chance to reach out and steal the letter his Father had been so determined for no one to see. Kozar smiled, edged away from the dangerous group and sprinted back to the tree outside his bedroom window. He climbed it and sat down on his bedroom floor, straining his eyes to read the letter. It was brief but very revealing.

_To the rightful heir of the throne _

_The plan is well under way, the poison was hard to get hold of but we've done it through the source I mentioned. He won't tell anyone, and I did not reveal the larger details of our plan to him anyway. We will pass it on to you at the meeting point we discussed. The poison leaves very little trace, however it might show up. This means that you will be required to tamper with the body and make it look like he died from a fall so to draw attention away from where the poison might leave its mark. I will discuss further tomorrow._

_From Lieutenant Zhao_

Kozar was struggling to work the letters meaning out. He felt like he had grown up in the night. As he lay awake in bed and pondered what to do it became increasingly obvious that the world hid many secrets. He decided he would figure this one out. The boy Prince was growing up very fast indeed, and someone's may depend on him. It was only as the first rays of sunlight came through the window that Kozar finally nodded off to sleep.


	4. Born to be wild

Born to be wild

"Kozar." Called Ursa'a kind voice

"Come on Kozar, it's not like you to- oh my goodness!" She exclaimed. The Prince raised his bleary eyed head, still half asleep

"Wha-"

"You're covered in leaves and dirt, you didn't go out last night did you?" Her voice was more concerned than angry. Kozar bowed his head.

"Yeah I did." He paused shamefully, then added "Please don't tell Dad." She sighed, but agreed anyway.

"Okay I won't tell him, but you must stop these little incidents, you cause more trouble than Zuko or Azula ever did, and they had their moments." She gazed into the distance while Kozar looked on unsure, but she broke the silence with some interesting news.

"Kozar, it's very important you behave, your Father is going away for a while on a quest. While he's gone you might start your firebending lessons, and I need you to settle down and try hard to control your behaviour. Remember what Uncle Iroh says?"

"Firebending requires discipline and control, without those you will harm others and yourself." Kozar recited.

"That's a good boy, now hurry and get dressed, Daddy wants to speak to us as a family."

"OK mum." Ursa smiled and left her youngest son to get ready. She thought of all the times she had found him covered in mud or blood, she didn't even ask for details anymore. Her train of thought was interrupted by the sight of a couple of servants taking the cloak of a tall broad shouldered man. She didn't approve of Lieutenant Zhao. He was arrogant and disrespectful, she quickly walked by to avoid talking to the man. _At least once Ozai has left he won't be stopping round so often_.

Kozar rushed downstairs, nearly tripping over a servant carrying a tray of bread and fruit into the breakfast hall. Once in he sat down next to Zuko, trying his best to ignore Azula's false smile on the other side of the table.

"Hey Kozar, did you get told off by mum for leaving the house again?" She asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"I didn't leave the house." He replied, however he wasn't a good liar like his sister, and looked down as he said so, rather giving it away.

"Oh really, just to warn you though, I don't expect Dad will stand for much more. You're already his least favourite." She grinned triumphantly.

"Dad might not be here to stop me soon." He shot back angrily.

"What do-"

"Stop bickering you two." Ursa was using her bossy mother tone, Kozar found it very hard to take notice of, it just didn't suit her at all.

"Okay you three, I have some bad news, unfortunately your Father has..."

Kozar found his attention wandering to the sight of his Father and a familiar looking man entering the room. They had their heads together and were in a muttered dicussion which broke off as they reached the family.

"Ah Ursa's telling them, that leaves us free to go to my study and discuss matters." the two men went off, as they disappeared Kozar felt all the worries of the previous night coming back to him. He glanced at his siblings who were still listening to their mother, then got up and left the room to follow his Dad and his friend. He walked up to hid dad's study and pressed his ear to the door to listen to the two men who were having a heated discussion.

"Inexcusable Lieutenant, a disgraceful mistake. It could have cost us everything." Ozai's unmistakable menacing voice could cut through steel when he was angry enough.

"How could you forget to code the letter, what if you had lost it. I trust you still have it." The Lieutenant, who Kozar now recognised as Zhao paused before responding.

"I destroyed it as I felt there was no more use for it." Ozai didn't seem to notice anything amiss.

"Lucky for you. What if Iroh had got wind of this. Or even my Father. I just don't understand how you could do this."

"Well there is no harm done at any rate. I won't make any more mistakes I promise."

"I should hope not, for your sake. Anyway this will be put on hold until I come back. Iroh has a couple more years to live. I bid you good day now Lieutenant." Kozar dashed round the corner and hid himself as the door of his Father's study opened. The young Prince paused for breath, then processed what he had just heard. He hadn't understood much of it, but he knew this: Ozai was plotting to kill Iroh to seize the throne.


	5. Jhong

**A/N **I know that for a 3 year old he seems very smart and resourceful, but I feel the story fits the timeplan I've got for it better. I also think that in the Avatar world the characters can be more grown up at an age than they would be in real life. Basically he was a 3 year old with the brain of a 7 or 8 year old. I also have added boxing in this chapter, for those boxing experts out there it will be much like the real life version, except there won't be different weight classes as I like the idea of Kozar fighting people a lot bigger than him. Anyways on with the story.

Jhong

Two years had passed since Kozar had stumbled on to the conspiracy to kill his Uncle. And Kozar had just pushed the matter to the back of his mind, Iroh was in no immediate danger and no one would believe him even if he showed them the letter that was still hidden away among his things. Ozai had returned from his quest unsuccessful, not that anyone was surprised by that. No one believed the Avatar was alive, so Kozar''s Grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon hadn't been angry about Ozai's failure. Publicly he had praised his younger son for the stories of daring raids on Earth kingdom ships. All this meant that Ozai was in a better mood than Kozar had ever known. This was just as well for the young Prince, as it was time for him to go to school. Ozai had told him that he wouldn't be going to the Royal fire academy for boys like Zuko had. He had said that most of what they taught wouldn't be necessary for what Kozar would do when he was older. The boy hadn't been all too happy with his Father's tone of voice, it seemed to carry a hidden message. Kozar shrugged it off and went along with what his Father siad_. Why would I need Maths anyway_ Was how he thought of it. He had already decided that he had no interest in staying in the capital city when he was old enough to leave. He had decided to travel the world. However when he told his Mother his plans they had not been recieved well. Since then he had been watched like a hawk by a servant at almost all times. Almost. He had managed to slip away on occasion, exploring, running, swimming or climbing what ever he could find. The result was that Azula no longer had anything to back up calling him fat. He was still short, but was stocky, strong and fast for his age. Very fast. This had got him out of a number of difficult situations with angry older kids that he might have annoyed. Of course it would have been just as easy to tell them that he was the Prince, but Kozar often tried to forget about that.

Kozar arrived at his place of education, noticing that there were 5 other boys in the courtyard when he got there. He was about to walk over and intoduce himself, but as he started a tall, bulky man emerged, and all the boys who had seconds ago been lounging around suddenly snapped to attention.

"Line up." The man shouted in a deep authorative tone. The other boys quickly moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with one another, and Kozar joined the line at the far left. The man (An instructor he seemed to be more than a teacher) was clearly visible. He was massive, the tallest man Kozar had ever seen. At least 7 foot tall, with bulging arms as thick as tree trunks. His shoulders were wider than Kozar was tall and his chest muscles looked like they could stop a charging Komodo Rhino dead in its tracks.

"Your parents have deemed it necessary for you to be sent here for disciplining." _That's odd _thought Kozar _Dad didn't mention that._

"BOY" Kozar was brought back to Earth boy the powerful voice.

"What did I just say?" He asked

"Boy." Kozar replied, regretting it as soon as he saw the look on the man's face. When the instructor responded his voice was quiet, almost gentle. This unnerved Kozar more than shouting ever did or would.

"I know you are a Prince, but your Father insisted that you don't get any special treatment. You will be pushed hard here. Very hard. You'll be a man when I've finished with you lot." He noticed that the other boys had been talking among themselves pointing at Kozar.

"ALL OF YOU!" That got their attention.

"I am the strongest man you will ever see." He walked over to a stone bench and lifted it off the ground with one of his enormous hands. Then dropped it and grinned.

"You see?" He enquired.

"I bet you're not very fast though." Kozar didn't know why he couldn't just keep his mouth shut. He expected to be yelled at, maybe even kicked out on his first day, but instead the instructor's features softened.

"You're fast are you, then today while we work you can run constant laps of the courtyard. Go on. Have fun." Kozar set off at a slow jog and gradually got quicker. He knew he could do this, and was almost showing off as the other boys did various physical exercises. Kozar actually enjoyed it, and the time flew by. At the end the instructor dismissed the boys, saying they had worked hard. Kozar detected a nice guy hidden underneath the muscles as he began walking to the exit. He was stopped by one of the man's enormous hands on his shoulder.

"Wait a moment Prince Kozar. Come inside and have a chat." Kozar slightly bemused, but not at all scared followed his instructor inside.

"Your Father sent you here because he believes that you need controlling. This is not a disciplinary centre. It is a place where you should work on the gifts you were given. I have heard from your Uncle, not your Father that you are a gifted athlete."

"All my family are."

"Yes. But I wanted to test you out by making you run today. I am impressed. I think that as long as you work hard we will get along very well indeed. You may go now. I just wanted you to know that you shouldn't see this place as a punishment."

"There's just one thing sir." Kozar hesitated and the instructor encouraged him to tell.

"What is your name, I can't keep thinking of you as _the instructor_ ."

"My name is Jhong."

"Where have I heard that name?

"I am a former boxing champion of the Fire Nation."

"Thanks I just wanted to know." With that Kozar ran off deep in thought. _Boxing_ he mused _I could do that._


	6. Azula's friends

Azula's friends

Kozar got home from his first day with Jhong, and when he got home he went straight into the garden without stopping to say hello to his mother or father. He was eager to tell Zuko about his first day at "School", however when he went outside Zuko wasn't there. Instead Azula was, as well as two girls Azula's age who Kozar hadn't seen before. They didn't seem to notice him, but Azula did and said tauntingly

"How was your first day at you special school?" Kozar wasn't that surprised that she knew, even if mum had kept it a secret dad would have told her Azula anyway. Kozar had learnt that getting angry was not the way to go. Instead he just smiled innocently and replied

"It was great, who are your friends." Until then the other girls had been ignoring Kozar, but at his comment they both turned around to look at him. One of the girls ran up to him, she was very lively, dressed in pink with a braid at the back of her hair.

"Hi I'm Ty Lee, you must be Prince Kozar, I heard that the other one is older than Azula, the other Prince that is, and you don't look that old, anyway how are you it's nice to meet you." She said all this very quickly, then burst into a smile, Kozar was overwhelmed by her exuberance, and it showed in his hesitant response.

"Uh... I'm okay I guess." At this the other girl, who had been trying to ignore this exchange turned aroundand said in a bored voice

"Are you stupid or something?" Kozar was bemused by this unfriendliness, he would expect it from Azula but wasn't used to it from strangers. His reaponse was equally as hesitant as his first one.

"Uh...no."

"Well you sure sound stupid." Mai said then turned round as if she had lost interest.

"Mai don't be nasty, Azula told us that, well you know." Ty Lee seemed to change her mind about what to say at the end of the sentence.

"What did Azula say?" Kozar was suddenly worried about what his sister had been spreading. It was Mai who replied

"She said you weren't smart enough to go to a normal school, so you go to a school specifically for doing labour because you're not smart enough to do the work that we do." Mai was still speaking down to him, and Kozar felt his blood begin to boil. But he was past the stage where he got angry, and let his rage out with his reply.

"Well you obviously aren't smart enough to learn manners at your school." Mai just sighed and turned away to ignore the combative Prince. He wasn't annoyed with her particularly, more Azula for telling lies about him. He turned to walk back inside. As he stepped in, he couldn't help another glance back at Ty Lee. The girl clad in pink turned around and he quickly looked away.

**A/N **Short chapter I know, to anyone who is actually reading this. But I didn't want to drag it out and there wasn't a lot more I had to say on this topic for the moment


	7. Back to the present

Back to the present

_The two men spoke all the way back. It was mostly through woods and sleeping villages, no one would hear them and so what if they did? These were bandits, rebels, outcasts. They didn't give a damn. Just like the rest of their kind._

"_I'm not sure I totally believe everything you say, you were only three after all."_

"_I was a very eloquent child."_

"_Indeed, I can't imagine you crying either."_

"_Haven't since I was three, nothing much to cry about though."_

"_Your Mother left you when you were young, your Sister's mad and your Father's gone inside…"_

"_I don't like any of them. And he's not my father."_

"_He must be. You're a natural firebending genius. It runs in the family."_

"_My maternal Grandfather was an Avatar, and I was brought up in the world's most powerful, most insidious royal family. That I will accept and in some ways I'm grateful. I am not the son of Ozai, however. How could I be?"_

"_What with your political persuasion? Fair point I suppose but surely there would have been a sign."_

"_Plenty. Ozai hated me and I disliked him. From the day I was born. There's no other explanation as to why."_

"_Why would he not have had you killed then?"_

"_My Mother would have made sure the secret got out if he had."_

"_What about your real Father?"_

"_That's different. He probably is dead. Banished at the very least but probably dead."_

"_I see where you're coming from but…" The taller man's voice was still sceptical._

"_It doesn't matter if you believe me. I have no proof. Just a gut instinct. That's all I'll ever have. But instinct is all our kind had for thousands of years. We survived. That's not bad."_

"_Bullshit. Don't get pretentious with me." They both laughed, and talk turned to lighter things. Girls, drink and the reception they'd get when they arrived home. _


	8. War of words

War of words

"Iroh has lost his son. Your cousin Lu Ten is dead." The words hit Kozar like a wrecking ball. He liked Lu Ten, but it wasn't just that, the young Prince had lived in a sheltered world. He had never known anyone who died, let alone a family member, someone as close as a cousin. He wandered around in a daze for the rest of the morning, taking no notice of where he was going at all. Then the inevitable happened.

"Watch yourself you little brat." In his head Kozar cursed. Of all the people, why him?

"Well if it isn't the littlest Prince. Walking around like he owns the place." Continued the man. Lieutenant Zhao was 5 years older than he had been when Kozar last laid eyes on him. All that had changed was that he was even more arrogant.

"You can't talk to a Prince like that." Kozar shot back angrily. Zhao laughed,

"Oh can't I? I'm one of your Father's most trusted friends. You're the spoilt youngest son. Known only for your attitude and lack of talent. What could you possibly do to me?" Kozar spat at his feet, Zhao's face turned from amusement to fury. He leant in close and whispered menacingly.

"Watch yourself boy, it's a criminal offence to disrespect an officer. Unless you want to end up duelling me in an Agni Kai I'd apologise this instant." Kozar glared at him, but for once controlled himself.

"I'm sorry." He muttered through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I should think so, now run along why don't you." Kozar turned away but couldn't stop himself from one last parting shot,

"Wait till Uncle Iroh finds out about what you planned, then we'll see who's sorry."

"What?" exclaimed Zhao, the grabbed Kozar by the collar. He continued in a barely audible whisper.

"You don't know anything?" There was malice in his voice, thought Kozar, but something else too, fear?

"You'd be surprised, I found something of yours once. A letter." Zhao's memories were all so clear. Dreams of coups and usurp of the Crown Prince. Dreams of the past, but with deadly consequences in the present. He had to make sure. He forced himself to keep calm.

"Don't do anything rash will you now?" His breathing was fast and anxious.

"Depends if you're going to afford me the respect I deserve from now on." Kozar was beginning to enjoy himself, the arrogance was back. Just as things were getting fun, however, his Mother showed up.

"Where have you been young man? I was worried about you. I have some important news, your Uncle is coming home. "

"So?"

"And your Father has requested a family meeting with Fire Lord Azulon. You need to change into something a little smarter. As for you, Lieutenant, my husband has requested that you join us for Dinner." Ursa said this with well disguised contempt, still visible to Kozar, he was used to that treatment himself.

As his Mother dragged him away he got in one last parting shot at Zhao;

"So Uncle's coming home, eh?" He looked back and winked at the Lieutenant, alone in the cavernous hallway. Zhao shook his fist. Kozar turned and laughed.


	9. Sibling rivalry

Sibling rivalry

"Hey Kozar have you seen my…" Zuko trailed off as he entered his Brother's bedroom.

"What have you done?" he gasped gazing round at the piles of clothes strewn over the floor, wardrobe with one of it's doors hanging on by a thread, and bed with the covers torn to pieces and roughly thrown into a corner.

"Mum's going to be so angry with you…" Continued the elder Prince.

"Please don't tell her!" begged Kozar, still himself coming to terms with what had happened.

"Why did you do it?" Zuko asked.

"It wasn't me, it was Zhao."

"Who?"

"One of Dad's friends, he was looking for a letter I had."What letter?" responded Zuko disbelievingly.

"They were going to kill Uncle!"

"What! Why would you say that?" gasped the elder Prince, Kozar saw his eyes close to tears. This in itself was not unusual, Zuko was often upset, this time however, they seemed to be tears of _anger. _

"It's true!" insisted Kozar, faltering as he said it, he could see Zuko would never believe him. Zuko idolised both their Uncle _and_ their Father.

"No. It's a lie. You're a liar." shouted Zuko, angry now, then he continued;

"I'm telling mum!" He then turned to leave the room. Kozar caught his arm.

"No please don't, I didn't mean what I said, I was just so angry." He pleaded, and the rage seemed to drain out of Zuko.

"Please don't tell mum." Kozar repeated.

"Oh alright then." He grumbled and Kozar grinned. But at Zuko's next words he faltered again;

"But what are you going to tell her happened." Kozar knew full well that he couldn't tell her the truth. The letter was certain to be gone, it hadn't been hidden very well. In fact it had hardly been hidden at all, Zhao had probably continued to wreck the room as revenge for their earlier exchange.

"I don't know, maybe I'll blame Azula…" They both laughed at that. Aside from the fact that Azula was at her fire bending lessons and couldn't possibly be involved, they both knew there was no way on Earth their Father would believe Kozar over Azula. Or their Mother for that matter.

"Blame me for what?" came the chilling tones of their Sister.

"Uh-oh" whispered Zuko. Kozar ran to the door to stop her coming in.

"I thought you were at your class." He challenged her. She was entirely unperturbed.

"I was, but it was cancelled when one of the girls got hurt. Quite badly too." _Wonder how that happened _thought Zuko, at the exact time Kozar voiced the sentiments out loud. Zuko groaned. Golden rule of the house: Do not rile Azula.

"She should have dodged it." came the contemptuous reply. And then the question the boys were both dreading;

"What are you doing in here anyway? Seems pretty suspicious to me." Kozar blocked her way as she tried to barge past.

"None of your business." _Wrong move _thought Zuko.

"Seems even more suspicious now." Smiled Azula sweetly. Then tried to push Kozar out of the way. He retaliated aggressively and shoved her to the floor. When she got up there was none of the dark humour of before in her eyes. Just cold fury.

"You'll regret that!" She hissed.

"Bring it on!" Growled Kozar in response. She did, punching fire straight at his head, he ducked and tried to tackle her legs. She side stepped this and caught Kozar in the face with her knee as he fell. He tried to punch some fire of his own at her, but his basic training with Jhong was no match for her's . She was a very special talent with the very best teacher's, and easily dispelled his efforts, laughing at his face, screwed up in concentration.

As she was about to punch at his head once more, with Kozar completely helpless, Zuko barged her in the back and knocked her to the ground. They all got up and Kozar and Zuko both advance towerds her as she backed away.

"Hey, no fair! Two against one!" She protested, though silently still confident she had the beating of them. Neither Brother responded, they were both excited and terrified of the situation.

As they prepared to engage once more, a shout came from along the hallway.

"Princess Azula! Prince Zuko! Prince Kozar, what is going on!" They turned to see a large, middle aged maid jogging towards them. Zuko and Kozar put their fists down. Azula, however, jumped forwards and kicked Zuko in the midriff, causing him to yell and topple backwards. Kozar launched himself at her in retaliation, but before he could do any more, they were separated by the red-faced maid. They glared at each other but were cut off at the woman's words;

"Just wait until I tell your Mother." she threatened, and then paused as she noticed movement at the end of the corridor. And then, cutting through the atmosphere like a knife through butter:

"Thank you maid, I'll take it from here." Kozar turned to see his Father striding towards them. Purposeful. Powerful. Terrifying.

Kozar cursed his Sister for the millionth time as he tried to unpick a knot in the end of one of what seemed like thousands of bed sheets in the Palace. This was his punishment. To do the work of a Servant for a month. Twelve hours a day. No leaving the palace except for going to school. _Special school _As Azula referred to it. He paused and shook his head angrily, trying to erase all thoughts of his Sister from his mind.

He was distracted by a low moan a few feet to his right. Zuko was having his own struggles, and a pang of guilt surged through Kozar's stomach and up to his throat. Zuko had two weeks of this, bad enough considering he had done little wrong. Worst of all, Azula had got away scot-free _Of course she had. _Thought Kozar. His anger was back.

Kozar's punishment was a return for the state of his room. His Father had said that he lacked respect for the servants. Zuko had two weeks of the same stuff for no reason other than, in the words of Ozai: "It'll toughen you up." Kozar was smarting inside at the unjustness of it all. And smarting more than anything else about the way he had been beaten by his Sister. _I'll work harder from now on_. He resolved, _She'll never beat me again. And then he was broken off from this train of thought by a yelp from his Brother. Zuko had cut himself on a sharp piece of wardrobe he had been trying to neaten up. He was bleeding. Kozar glanced at his Brother. Zuko glanced back. Kozar quickly looked away._


	10. Blood is thicker than water

Blood is thicker than water

"Punch Harder!" As one the line of boys snapped forwards with their fists.

"Roar louder!" Once again the boys punched forward as one, this time accompanied by shouts ranging from the full blooded scream to the half hearted yell.

"Release your Rage!" Came the command once more. This was too much for a couple of the boys, who fell about laughing at their friends attempts to terrify the wildlife in the trees they were facing.

"And that is not at all how I want you to do it," concluded Jhong. Kozar and Tamas were rolling around with uncontrollable mirth as the other boys looked on, feeling rather foolish at what the events of the past few minutes.

"Pair of idiots," muttered Jhong as he watched the Prince and his friend, before deciding enough was enough and hauling them both to their feet.

"Come on guys, it wasn't that funny," groaned one of their classmates.

"They're only pretending to laugh so they didn't have to do it. I've heard Tamas roar before and it sounded like the mating call of your average Newtmouse," added another. The boys fell about laughing. There was a genuinely good spirit among them all, and now that Kozar was stuck inside except for his lessons, this was the only time of day that he looked forward to.

"Anyone who tells you that power in fiebending comes from the physique is wrong. A man who relies on nothing but athleticism will wear themselves out before their thirties. True power comes from the breath, I know of very few exceptions to this rule." Jhong had his class' attention again. They respected their teacher. More than that, they liked him. He was one of the world'd leading authorities on firebending. Impressive, seeing as he couldn't bend himself.

"What the hell is a Newtmouse anyway?" Whispered Tamas to the boy who had mentioned it before. Tamas was an extraordinarily gifted bender and slightly older than most of the other boys at twelve. He felt he could get away with more, and he was right. Jhong was not the disciplinarian that he appeared at first glance.

"Pay attention!" barked Jhong, working hard to conceal his smile.

"However, seeing as you're so smart Tamas, why don't you demonstrate a move for us," he challenged. Tamas grinned.

"Sure, why not," he replied, before ambling up to stand in front of the others. Kozar laughed at his friend's confidence. He admired him as well. _If only he could meet Azula, that'd bring her down a few pegs. _He grinned at the thought and continued to listen to Jhong.

"Now, Tamas, what I want you to do is…" He trailed off and gazed over to the far corner of the field. Two Imperial Firebenders were making their way over.

"I think it's time for you to go." He nodded in the direction of the young Prince. Kozar looked at his instructor, and then looked back at his friends before leaving to meet the Royal guards on their way.

"Nice get-up," he heard Tamas remark, but for once he didn't laugh. This was serious. He could tell.

Once they were out of earshot Kozar turned to speak to his escort.

"What's going on?" he asked nervously.

"I think it's best you hear from your Father." Replied one of them, and they refused to say another word to him the rest of the way home.

When they got back, it wasn't Ursa who awaited Kozar. It was his Father. This surprised him. Despite what the Imperial's had said, he had assumed it was his other would greet him. When they got close he saw a strange, faraway look in his Father's eyes. _Is he upset? _Thought Kozar. And then he was hit with the news.

"Your Grandfather is dead. Your Mother is gone." The words hit Kozar like a ton of bricks, his world shattered.

"Gone where?" he whispered. Ozai didn't answer, he turned and walked away.

Kozar ran up to the door of the palace and barged straight through. He raced through long hallways and up the steep staircases to find his Brother. No sign. He ran outside and saw him sitting alone by the pond, Gazing at the Turtleducks, his mind clearly elsewhere. He turned as Kozar rushed over to him. Tears welled up in the older boy's eyes. _Oh my it's true _thought Kozar. Seeing Zuko's tears confirmed what he hated to believe. Suddenly the two Brother's were hugging each other, the animosity of the past few weeks forgotten. It didn't matter now. Nothing did.


	11. A dish best served cold

**A dish best served cold**

The funeral had been huge, the coronation momentous. Kozar had stood alongside his older siblings, dressed in pure white and brilliant gold. The emotion poured out by the crowd for the dead King made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The roar that greeted his Father's crowning sent shivers down his spine. Things would never be the same again.

He didn't understand why Iroh had not become Fire Lord. After all, he was the eldest Son of Azulon, surely it was his right of birth? It had occurred to Kozar that _he_ was now second in line for the throne. He didn't know how to feel, in fact, he felt nothing at all.

At one point, two days before the funeral, he had packed a small bag with essentials ready to leave. He didn't like the idea of sticking around without his Mother to protect him. It took him a while to realise he was ridiculous, he had nowhere to go. Could things really be that bad?

Yes, they could. Azula had taken their Mother's disappearance into her stride, it seemed to license her to get away with anything. Their Father was never around, too busy with his duties to keep her under any sort of control, and the maids were scared of her.

One day a few weeks after the funeral, Zuko was sitting alone by the pond. He had done this a lot, hours every day at the spot he and their Mother had fed the Turtleducks. As he gazed at the inscription on the blade of the knife Uncle Iroh had gifted him, he didn't notice Azula sneak up from behind. She snatched the knife away and ran towards the other end of their enormous garden. Kozar, who had been watching on, felt a surge of rage at his Sister's behaviour, a chance for revenge after all that had gone on.

He dropped the basket of bread he had been carrying and sprinted after his Sister. She turned and increased her pace, but Kozar was coming into his own by now. It seemed obvious to most that Azula was the more naturally talented bender, but it was equally clear that Kozar was the better athlete at this young age. He reeled her in like a fish at the end of a line and tackled her to the floor.

"Give it back." He demanded

"Ok ok it's only a stupid toy." Said Azula as she stood up, rubbing the dirt off her face. She held out the knife for him, but as he tried to grab it she snatched it away and punched forward a burst of flames with her free hand. Kozar stepped to the side and glared at her.

"Ready for a rematch?" He was not as good or as experienced as her, but he figured that he had one advantage. She was not used to fighting people who stood up to her, even the older ones she had sparred against had backed down with ease. She sneered and punched again before bringing her left foot round at Kozar's waist height.

He blocked both, dissipating their power around him, but the effort staggered him and she leapt forward to finish it quickly. As she punched forward at his head he shimmied to the right and grabbed her arm as the flames passed harmlessly by. He used her momentum to pull her to the ground and finally launched his own punch of fire. She managed to roll out of the way but as she stood up she was shaken.

She continued her attack, but was more wary now, treating him with respect. _That was a first _thought Kozar with some satisfaction, before proceeding to block the next two blows. As she twisted in mid air for another kick he jumped forward and shoulder barged her, knocking her off balance. She stumbled backwards and glanced around for help.

"Dad's not coming," Taunted Kozar before moving forward with two punches of his own. She blocked these, but was looking uneasy. Her trademark control was gone. He stepped closer and easily ducked a wild punch at his head, but as he got close she punched him in the stomach. Sensing triumph, Azula lunged forwards and grabbed the back of Kozar's head, holding up a flame in her other hand to his neck.

"Looks like I win Af-" she was cut off as her legs were swept away from underneath her, she bit the dirt for the third time in a matter of minutes. Kozar glared at her, went to pick the knife up and walked away.

"Wait till Dad hears about this," She called "Then you'll be sorry." Kozar turned and smiled;

"Are you really going to tell Dad that you actually lost?" He laughed, before walking over to Zuko and handing the knife back. For the first time in weeks, the Brothers shared a smile.

**A/N** Not a particularly interesting Chapter, but I wanted to test out how well I write fight scenes. I also thought it was important to indicate how much Kozar has grown in ability and confidence as he has grown up.


	12. The path of destiny

The path of destiny

"Eight-five to us!" Shouted Azula as Kozar dived in vain for the ball. It landed in, another perfect shot from the perfect Princess. Kozar groaned as he stood up.

"I hate Kuai Ball anyway," he complained

"Only 'cos you're no good," came the response.

"You haven't won yet," was the defiant retort. Kozar, Zuko and Zuko's friend Liu all crouched in anticipation of Azula's serve. She aimed towards the far left where Kozar was standing, then suddenly smashed it towards Liu down the middle. All He could do was deflect the ball high into the air in self-defence. Kozar scampered after it and flicked it towards the middle of their half of the court where Zuko was waiting to smash the ball past the helpless Ty Lee on the other side.

Zuko turned grinning as the ball was passed back.

"Nice work," Kozar smiled back, before getting ready to serve back towards the three girls on the other side of the net.

Two points later the game was over, ten-six to Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. The boys trudged off the court to cool down in the shade of a large tree.

"We should have used the smaller court," moaned Kozar, "On the full size one it's all about who can hit it the hardest.

"Yeah, well, that's Azula for you. She always gives herself the advantage. Guess that's why she wins so much." Grunted Zuko.

"Hey do you want to go and practice with those wooden swords?" Asked Kozar excitedly. He knew he was no match for Zuko, he was trained by _Piandao, _the legendary swordsman still considered the world's best. On the other hand, he loved any form of fighting and trying to improve.

"No I can't, it's time for my lesson with Uncle. He was gonna move on to the more advanced stuff that Azula's doing today, and I'm gonna try and get him to let me into Father's war meeting." Zuko's eyes were shining with excitement. Kozar sighed and turned to his Brother's friend;

"What about you Liu?" He asked

"No sorry, I should be getting home, mum'll be wondering where I am."

"Fine, see you then," said Kozar, before turning away to go and look for something to do. Kozar trudged back to his bedroom and looked around. The bag he'd packed when he'd briefly considered running away was still half full in the corner. He gazed at it for a couple of minutes and thought to himself. _I'll do it soon. When I'm ready. _Despite the size and grandeur of the palace, to Kozar it could feel like a prison. He wasn't allowed to bring his friend's round as most of them weren't from Noble families. He laid down on his bed and before he knew it was drifting off to sleep.

A few hours later he was awoken with a start. His Uncle was in his room and had shook him awake. Kozar was bleary eyed and tired.

"What is it?" he said, nervous for some reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"We need to get to the Duel chamber, quickly."

"What?" Kozar was even more puzzled now.

"Prince Zuko is about to duel your Father!" This stunned Kozar.

"Why?" He asked as his Uncle left the room at a brisk walk, Kozar jogged to catch up and repeated the question;

"Why?"

"He spoke out against the General's plan in the war room."

"What about?"

"Don't worry about that, we need to get there soon," Replied Iroh, increasing his pace again. Kozar had never seen his Uncle like this, normally so calm and relaxed, now he looked agitated and anxious.

"Why is he not duelling the General?"

"It was in your Father's war room." Came the response.

"What, those are the rules? Does Zuko know?"

"I don't think so, that's what worries me most." They didn't speak the rest of the way, Kozar was numb with shock. He couldn't believe this was happening.

When they arrived everyone else was already there, Kozar followed his Uncle to the only two empty seats in the entire chamber. He looked around and spotted Azula and Zhao, two of his least favourite people on Earth. Standing on the raised platform was the other; his Father.

The next few minutes passed in a blur: The surprise on Zuko's face when he turned, the way he begged for mercy, His Father's cruelty, Azula's clenched fist. Kozar was transfixed, he wanted to look away but couldn't help but stare. Zuko screamed, and in that moment, the future was born.


End file.
